Bates Motel
by NYCSVULOVE
Summary: What could be worse than being stuck out in the middle of the hot, steaming Desert? When Olivia and Elliot stumble apon a dusty, mysterious motel, they believe they are lucky they are even alive. Little do they know, they will uncover more than they bargined for at the motel with a haunted and gruesome history.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Many of you will be wondering how I got inspired to write this, so I'm just going to explain today I was watching Psycho and got totally hooked. It's been months since I've seen it, before I started watching SVU. All in all, I looked at it in the perspective of Liv and El and thought it would be a cool idea. **

**This is rated M because I unintentionally made this story really emotionally scaring for Olivia and Elliot. If you haven't seen Psycho, please watch it and you will understand. Also there will be M rated language. I don't know how much smut there will be in it, but I'll try to put at least a little bit. **

**Please review tell me if I should continue or not :) Pretty please..and thank you all so much for the other reviews on my stories; I never say thanks. **

**SVU belongs to Dick Wolf and friends. **

**Season: 12 (I liked Olivia's hair in this one :P) **

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**April 14 **

"Getting born in the state of Mississippi Papa was a copper and mama was a hippie! In Alabama she would swing a hammer! Price you gotta pay when you break the panorama! She never knew that there was anything more than poor! What in the world does your company take me for!" Olivia laughed and whacked Elliot's arm playfully while trying to be serious at the same time, knowing that if she gave him the satisfaction of making her smile in the first time all week, she'd never hear the end of his gloating.

"Elliot, shut up." Elliot nudged her with his elbow and his hand traveled over to the air conditioner where he proceeded in putting it on full blast. The sudden rush of freezing air made Olivia's head fall back against the headrest with a sigh of pleasure. Ever since they had come here, the environment had contained only been two things: work and heat. California was hardly a place Olivia hated, but when it came to working _in_ California things got a little iffy.

Two weeks ago, Olivia and Elliot were called into Cragen's office, thinking that they would be yelled at once again for busting up a perp a little. Police Brutality was a rarity in sex crimes, especially since Elliot recently had learned to control his temper, but to be completely honest, he still lost it sometimes. Maybe it was from pent up anger at Kathy for shipping the kids away to Florida where she was moving with her mother. Although Olivia could probably get him to back off, most of the times any incident happen, she let it go. Some people might say she was taking her job and respect for granted, but she wasn't. Some things you just had to let go, tossing all rules out of the window.

Anyway, Cragen had gotten a call from a Police Lieutenant from southern California who had requested the assistance of Olivia and Elliot. There had been a string of grizzly, disgusting rapes/murders that somehow tied into a case the two detectives had worked on back in 2001. That had been years ago, Olivia honestly didn't recall most of the details, but she could, however, remember the basis of the crimes. There had been over 20 dead girls, all the same age, 12, all the same looks, blonde hair, blue eyes, all the same lifestyles, rich, wealthy families with caring, loving parents. It was sickening that their bodies had to be fished out of dumpsters and sewers, their normal, childish beauty flawed by mud and litter. They had never found the perp, though they questioned dozens of people all with rock solid alibis. The case took up months of their time and all for nothing. All they had managed to uncover was dirty family secrets and money scams that had absolutely nothing to do with the killings. Eventually everything just stopped: the killings, the rapes, and the disappearances. It was as if none of it had ever happened.

No one would have thought that nearly ten years later, more murders would have been committed the exact same way with same M.O. as the others back in '01. Cragen had explained to them that once again more little girls were turning up, discarded like trash all with the same unique signature of the perp. Their hands were always tied tightly behind their back, their hair was always braided neatly down the back, they always had perfect makeup applied to their faces, although most of it had been marred by the places they were left in. The girls had the same blonde hair and blue eyes that must have somehow fascinated their perp. Over five girls were already dead in the span of over a month, but there were two more missing, so evidently time was not on their side.

Hurriedly, Cragen flew Olivia and Elliot out to give their expertise to the detectives working the case in the reasonably sized town of of Brandon County, California. For over a week, Olivia and Elliot worked their asses off, went through crime scenes with a fine tooth comb, and talked to the friends and family of the missing girls. It was on Sunday, yesterday, that they had finally found the man who committed all of the rapes and murders, in both New York and in California. It was a long and painful process, but all of the mothers and fathers had the same man mowing their lawn every week from the same company; his name was Samuel Frank, a 28 year old psychopath who escaped his mental health facility in a fire when he was 18 exactly around the time the gruesome crimes began.

It had been emotional to say the least for Elliot, who was already angry and upset, having his children taken away from him. Besides the fact of being emotionally drained, he seemed in good spirits, satisfied that they finally had caught the sick bastard that taunted their brains for over a decade. Except that even though he could never again rape and murder any other girl, 27 other girls had died in vain, for nothing. (The other two that had been missing had been found deceased.) Olivia, too, had been bothered by the fact, but now that they were on their way to the airport, which was fairly far away from Brandon County, she was in better spirits.

"Damn, I can't wait until we get home." Elliot reached over to Olivia and grabbed the McDonalds Coke they had snagged a while ago at a deserted shopping mall. Hungry as he was, he still hesitated in pulling into the creepy looking place. Olivia, being a smart ass, pointed out that the whole desert was fucking creepy. All they could see anyway was the occasional cactus and scrawny looking tree. They hadn't seen a car in miles so that checked another disturbing thing off the list.

"That makes two of us," Olivia murmured as she lay her head on the window as she watched the hot desert hills roll by.

"What do you plan to do when you get home?," Elliot asked with a grin. Somewhere in his heart he knew that Olivia would come up with dozens of answers that would make him even more eager to get home, prop himself up on his bed, eat junk until he almost died, and sleep for a week straight.

"Hmm," Olivia grinned and closed her eyes, imagining herself in her favorite city, "a nice, long, steamy shower." After she said it, her eyes snapped open realizing how inappropriately she had phrased that. She hadn't intended to turn him on, so she pretended not to see the way Elliot blushed deeply and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. She knew he wasn't really attracted to her. He was still getting over his divorce for god's sakes, he was awkward around every woman, though she never thought he actually considered her a woman since they had been partnered for so damn long. Actually, Olivia was pretty confident she could fit in with one of the boys at the bar, talking about beer or poker or whatever the hell they took interest in. "And a nice, juicy cheeseburger and fries with a venti Starbucks Frappe."

"They both sound amazing," Elliot moaned, letting his head lull back, he too thinking of what it would be like to be home...in the shower...with Olivia. He had to distract himself from thinking about her, naked, wet, and sudsy by pressing his foot on the accelerator.

"A little eager are we?" Elliot was so, so thankful he could mask his want for her as his want to get home.

"Just a little homesick." He handed her the soda which she took a grateful sip of. "You are too, Liv." Olivia gave him a quizzical look as him as she swallowed her Coke.

"Sorry, Stabler, you are certainly wrong there."

"Nope."

"Yep."

"Nada."

"Si."

"Hardly."

Olivia punched his arm playfully and pulled her legs up against her chest, suddenly very cold. The sun was just beginning to go down over those scary, freaky hills.

"Elliot, the only reason you're homesick is because you've got kids." She paused. "And friends." Elliot glanced over at her, thinking he heard tears in her voice. It pained him to hear her like this. It hurt him more than he would have liked it to.

"Olivia, I don't have kids, not anymore at least. And did you seriously just say I had friends?" He grinned at her, trying to cheer her up, using his hand to gently massage her shoulder as she leaned against the window once more. Elliot had a feeling the reason her eyes were closed again was because she was fighting back tears...and that just wasn't acceptable. "You should know better than anyone that this man could never make friends." Olivia stifled a laugh and placed her hand on top of his. "Honest to God, I don't think I've made a friend since eighth grade."

"Elliot, but you did have kids. I mean, you still do, just not in the city. At least you got that chance at life, that chance at actually loving someone," Olivia explained, shaking her head as she tried desperately to make him see from her side of the fence.

"Olivia, to be completely honest, the only reason you haven't loved anyone yet is because you won't let anyone into your life." He knew he made a mistake the moment the words left his lips. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Her big, fawn eyes snapped open, looking like red, hot knives against the orangey desert terrain.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Elliot didn't want to explain himself any further, scared that she would kill him before they got to the airport.

"Nothi-" Elliot was cut off as a groan from the cherry red, Buick Riviera made the car shudder with effort. Olivia's eyes were wide, not really with anger anymore, but with fear and dispair.

"When was the last time we got gas?," Olivia interrogated as she tried to get a look at the ancient looking dials and numbers on the dashboard. Elliot shook his head and tapped where it displayed quite clearly that the gas was half full.

"We have plenty of gas I don't understan-" The car lurched forward and Olivia painfully slammed her head into the front window. The next moment she felt blood pouring down her face, but more startling was the feeling of the car slowing down at a rapid pace.

"Fuck!" They said it simultaneously as blood seeped out of a deep slice in Olivia's forehead and the car came to a complete, utter stop. There was an eerie quiet for the next few minutes.

There was only the sound of their heavy breathing.

There was only the setting sun visible over the mountains.

There was only the smell of burning rubber and gas.

There was only the feel of blood under Olivia's hand and cheep leather under as Elliot gripped the steering wheel, waiting for the damn thing to start again.

Both of them tasted blood since they had both bitten their tongues in the unexpected, violent lurch forward.

They were screwed.

They were in the middle of nowhere.

"El?" Her voice was soft and if Elliot didn't know any better, he would declare she sounded scared. He looked at her pressing the wound on her forehead as blood flowed out through her hand. All feelings of complete helplessness faded somewhat as his protective, alpha male self came into play, opening the door for her and ushering for her to get out. The both of them quickly exited the car, intending only to examine the damage under the hood. But the next moment Elliot's arms were wrapped tightly around Olivia as he cupped her head close to his chest.

She couldn't stop the few, tiny tears that escaped her closed eyes as she breathed in his scent, like pine trees and laundry. Oh god, she was terrified. Not because their car broke down, that didn't really bother her. It was the mere fact that they were in the middle of a place Olivia despised. She rarely told anyone this, but she hated the desert with a burning passion. Nothing in her childhood or young adult years issued this hate. There was just something about being somewhere where there was so little, no houses, no trees, no people. It was the exact opposite of the city she had lived in her whole life. The change scared her...a lot.

"Are you okay?" Elliot's concern was growing by the minute and not hearing her voice telling him it was going to be okay pushed him over the edge. It pained him to feel her pull away, but the embrace had been for over three minutes, far longer than they had ever hugged.

"Shit, El, I got blood all over your shirt." Olivia's worry lines appeared on her forehead as she brushed the medium sized, rusty spot where her head had been resting.

"Liv, I really don't care...Are you okay?" She nodded, her attention now diverted back to the car.

"What should we do?"

"I don't really know anything about cars," Elliot admitted sheepishly.

"Exactly." Elliot shot her a glare. "So, what do we do?"

"Why the hell are you asking me?" His voice became angry and irritated and that reminded her of what he said in the car.

"Because you seem to know everything, butt head!" Not her best, but still. Elliot snickered coldly.

"Butt head? Is that the best you go?"

"You know what," Olivia's voice rose and Elliot could see the pink tint on her cheeks as she became incredibly angry, maybe not at him, but certainly at the situation, "I'm walking." Okay, yeah maybe at him. She snatched the Coke out of the car along with her gun and badge that had been resting in the backseat since obviously there was no need for them as they drove.

"Wait, what?" His voice lost it's callous, it was once again concerned and confused. That didn't drive the pain away from Olivia, but she knew that he was truly sorry for what he said in the car, even though they didn't exactly discuss it throughly.

"You heard me."

"Olivia," He groaned, jogging to catch up with her, "can't we just wait for someone to drive by?" Olivia shook her head and continued to walk at a steady pace down the side of the gravely road, still radiating heat from the afternoon sun.

"You can, but I'm not taking my chances." Her jaw was firm, her voice strong. He knew she wasn't going to back down on this.

"Fine." Elliot turned around, silently fighting against every instinct he had to go with her and protect her. It was the worst feeling he'd ever gotten, but quite frankly at this point he knew nothing on this trip had been his decision. This had happened with Kathy too. He was just the defender, not the leader, that was Olivia's job, but right now he was fighting for this. He knew that if they walked on it could be miles to the next rest stop or pay phone or living soul. The chances were just so damn slim.

As he saw her profile fading into the dim sky, his thoughts were thrown out the window. Fuck fighting for control, he really didn't give a fuck anymore if that meant having to be separated from her.

"Liv, wait!" Elliot sprinted to catch up with her and was embarrassingly out of breath when he finally reached her. He noticed her head was still bloody and as they walked he tore a piece of his thin, cotton shirt and gave it to her.

"Thanks," She murmured as she nursed it against the painful cut that was still bleeding.

"I didn't realize you were so stubborn," Elliot joked as he squinted off into the distance seeing nothing but black road stretching into the distance.

"You have a lot to learn then." But he knew that he really didn't. Olivia was the closest person he'd ever had to him and he would stop protecting her...even if it meant risking his own life.

**"We all go a little mad sometimes."- Anthony Perkins,_ Psycho_**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Please enjoy! Please review, follow, or favorite if you wish! **

**Thanks for everyone's support! **

**SVU belongs to Dick Wolf and friends!**

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**April 14**

The sun had gone all the way down roughly a half an hour ago. Although Olivia had disliked the idea entirely of wandering in the desert in pitch blackness while wild creatures roamed around and made spooky noises, the moon was doing an okay job of keeping the road illuminated so neither of them had any unnecessary injuries. So far, she had estimated they'd walked about a mile, maybe less. She couldn't really tell with the splitting pains bouncing in and out of her forehead every minute with the thin cotton still soaking up some of the blood. She wasn't sure if she had a concussion, but she prayed that she didn't. Just to add to another shitty injury of the year, she would have to go through even more psych evaluations and random tests which everyone at every police department loathed, not just her. Did they think just because she got hit in the head she would lose her common sense and immediately turn into some kind of police fuck up? Probably, but she wasn't about to let that slide.

Elliot was walking a few paces ahead of his partner, craning his neck every so often to see if she was still following him or if she had collapsed, which he wouldn't be surprised if she did. He could tell that she was in pain, and exhausted, even though she didn't actually talk to him about it. The way she was constantly wincing and massaging her forehead pretty much gave her discomfort away.

"You doin' okay back there?" Elliot came to a stop and turned around, waiting for her. He felt slightly guilty that he was walking ahead of her. The least he could do was keep a steady pace next to her and offer to carry her if she did end up losing all of her energy which he knew would happen soon.

"Yeah," Olivia mumbled not so convincingly, once more cringing as another jolt of pain rocketed into her skull. It seemed like hours before she finally caught up to where Elliot was waiting patiently, his fit body visible only by the silver light of the moon.

Elliot didn't hesistate in holding out his hand for her to take. It was only when she enclosed her clammy hand around his own did he realize that something was definitely wrong. Her skin was burning, far to hot to be considered the normal 98.6 or lower. Her hands were slick with sweat and trembling violently. Olivia's grip on his hand tightened almost painfully a moment later. It was a second too late for Elliot to realize that Olivia's legs were buckling as she tried with all of her might to keep herself upright. He slipped his arm around her waist before she got the chance to hit the ground and gently lowered himself down with her, not being able to handle both of their combined weight in this position.

"Olivia," Elliot breathed, terrified that something was happening that would require a hospital which obviously would be roughly 50 miles away, probably even more. "Liv, stay with me, baby." Panic surged through his veins as he saw her brown, bleary eyes fluttering closed.

"El," Olivia groaned softly, the endless amount of energy she had once had only a half an hour ago was quickly evaporating. She knew she must have come down with something in Brandon County. There was absolutely no way that hitting her head could cause this kind of burning sensation throughout her body and relentless spinning of the world.

"Breath Liv, take it easy, okay?" Without thinking Elliot pulled out his cellphone from his pocket, hoping that now they would be able to get a signal, even though he knew the chances were slim. They had already attempted to call Cragen multiple times to let him know they might consider a few days off once they got back. They both knew that they were only complying to each other's suggestions. Both of them were under considerable amounts of stress and they only wanted the best for their partner, so obviously they insisted on each other taking a vacation. Elliot glanced at the screen...no signal. Surprise, surprise.

It took a moment for the trained detective to think of something to do, anything that might help.

Then it struck him like a lightbulb...a faint blue lightbulb in the distance.

"Jesus fucking christ," Elliot exhaled, relieved. Up ahead, not even a half a mile away a blue sign read "Bates Motel." And it had vacancy.

**"It's Halloween, everyone's entitled to one good scare."- Sheriff Leigh Brackett, _Halloween_**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Enjoy! Leave a review, follow, favorite if you guys like it! **

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**April 14**

Elliot walked at a slow, slightly ragged pace, his arm wrapped tightly around Olivia's waist to keep her from crumbling over again. He considered carrying her, but when he tried, the growl that emitted from Olivia's throat told him that she wasn't completely helpless. Even through her shirt, he could still feel her burning hot skin and the way her body was trembling told him that there was something really wrong with her. They needed a hospital and quickly. Hopefully at this Bates Motel they would be able to get their hands on a phone and get her help soon.

"You doing okay there, Liv?" She nodded, allowing her head to weakly loll back against his neck. He waited for more of an answer, for reassurance from the strongest woman he had ever known, but he got nothing except her labored breathing and delusional muttering.

It seemed like forever when they at last got to the motel. He would never admit this to anyone, but on the inside Elliot was panicking like a child who lost their parents. The worst possible situations kept popping in and out of his head. What if there was no phone? What if this was life threatening? What if it was his fault that she dies? Having the urge to finally tell her how he felt about her seemed like a good idea right then, having the heart wrenching suspicion that he might never get a chance like this again. Elliot wanted to smack himself, to assure himself that there was no way Olivia was fatally wounded. It seemed stupid, but Elliot always had a feeling that Olivia wouldn't let herself die, not like this anyway. It was a belief he'd had since he was a child, that only the strong would live until they died of natural causes and the weak would die in tragic accidents. If you didn't want to die, you didn't have to. You just needed to be strong about it and he knew there was no better person than Olivia.

Elliot clumsily trudged up the driveway, exhaustion taking over him as he nearly dragged Olivia behind him. The neon blue sign splayed an eerie light across the dirt of the parking lot where there were two old, rusty cars that didn't look like they worked. It gave him the chills and he involuntarily tightened his grip around her waist. His detective instincts immediately found the front office, located at the far left end of the motel with a dim light burning inside. As Elliot walked quickly, nearly tripping over himself several times, his eyes momentarily wandered to the hill behind the motel and he became startled when he saw an old rickety house. Quite frankly it scared the absolute shit out of him, not only because it looked like something out of a scary movie, but because through the upstairs window of the house he spotted the lingering silhouette of a woman.

"El." Olivia's faint moan was enough to tear his eyes away from the creepy house and cradle her head against his chest.

"It's okay,Liv. We're almost there," he soothed gently, wanting to make her pain go away with all of his being. It hurt him so badly to see her like this, to feel her body become more drained of energy every small step they took. It made him want to cry for her because he knew if she had a choice, she would never let anyone witness her so vulnerable and broken.

"I-it hurts," she whimpered in a barely audible voice, slightly muffled from his warm chest. Elliot didn't know what he was doing, not in the moment anyway. All he knew was that several seconds later his lips were in contact with her hair, her fruity, soft, beautiful hair that may or may not have haunted his dreams every night. All he knew was that it was the best feeling he had ever experienced in his whole life. Although it might have seemed a petty accomplishment to other people, it was something that had always been forbidden, something that he would have never considered actually doing. Elliot only dreamed about actions like this, some of them more erotic than others. This kiss was gentle and soothing and he hoped that it brought about some sort of comfort for Olivia, knowing that there was someone taking care of her, someone that would never let her go for as long as he lived.

* * *

Finally, Elliot swung open the old, wooden door leading into the motel office. He was startled, disappointed, and frightened to see that it was not only empty, but filled with stuffed animals, and not the kind Eli played with either. There was a moose, a white dog, a couple of wolves, and a few weird ass raccoons that seemed to glare at him as he led Olivia over to a cheap, uncomfortable looking chair. She collapsed in it gratefully and her breathing seemed to instantly slow.

After lovingly smoothing the hair out of Olivia's face so that she could see her surroundings, Elliot turned towards the front desk, where behind it there was a back room clearly visible. No one was in there either and there wasn't a phone in sight or any electronic equipment for that matter. Elliot's mind instantly flashed back to the house he had only recently seen located up on the steep hill. He was reluctant, scared that something was going to happen to Olivia if he left her here alone. He knew she was far too exhausted to walk anymore.

"Liv," he whispered, kneeling down beside her. Her dark, tired eyes fluttered open to met his, though Elliot could tell they could barely stay open. "I'm going to go find someone that can get us a room here and call a hospital so we can get you help." All he received in response was a low moan that he took as an agreement. He gently muttered some comforting words to her before he swung the door open and jogged across the driveway, pausing at the beginning of the stone steps that led up to the house on the hill.

His eyes flickered up to the window where he had seen the woman, but the light was out and she was no longer there. At that moment, Elliot had the overwhelming urge for a flashlight and his gun. Damn these stupid laws that said that he and Olivia had to leave their guns in New York. Why the fuck would they do that? He took a hesitant step onto the slate gray stone and he instantly contemplated running away. The detective wanted to curse himself out for being such a pussy, for being too scared to go up to a creepy house and ask for a phone. This was not the Elliot Stabler that he had been in New York City. There he was confident, he had no doubt in his mind that with the help of his beautiful and charming partner, that they would catch any son of a bitch that crossed their path. It was then, hesitating on the stairs that Elliot realized he was basically nothing without his partner, nothing at all.

With one last heated, and determined sigh, Elliot sprinted up the stairs, ignoring the slicing pains as sharp, overgrown weeds slapped at his arms and seemed to pull him away from the house. If Elliot thought that plants could communicate, he would be certain that they were warning him of something. Except Elliot knew plants couldn't communicate, so he shook his head, trying to convince himself that he wasn't going crazy, not yet at least.

The weeds slowed his running down slightly and the steepness of the stairs made it harder to travel at a fast, brisk pace, but he made it up there in good time. Elliot took a moment to look out over the view below the house. It would have been a beautiful sight had he been there on under different circumstances, especially in the daylight. The desert seemed to stretch out for miles on end, with nothing but the mountains in the distance for his eyes to see. Elliot didn't want to knock on the ancient looking door, nor did he want to communicate to whoever was inside, but he knew he had too. He didn't really have a choice at this point.

So, hesitantly, Elliot raised his hand to the door and knocked three, loud, long times. He heard nothing, maybe they were asleep, but he had just seen the woman in the window, so it wasn't really likely. He was justabout to knock again when the door opened.

**"You _were_ the caretaker here, Mr. Grady."- Jack Torrance, _The Shining _**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I am really sorry for the delay on updating my stories, especially this one. I've been enjoying the outdoors :) Please drop a review and tell me what you think! Thanks for reading! **

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**April 14**

Elliot nearly had a heart attack when the door swung open. He was expecting a crazed psycho killer in a mask at this point, but instead there stood only a young kid. He looked as if he was barely 20, but his youthful, bright green eyes made him look even younger.

"How may I help you?," the boy asked in a low tone. There was something about his voice that was strange, yet Elliot couldn't quite put his finger of it.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, I know it's late, but I was wondering if I could use your phone. I'm Detective Stabler with the NYPD. I was with my partner and we were on our way to the airport when our car broke down and she hit her head," Elliot explained hurriedly, hoping with his whole heart that this rickety, old house had a phone. "I'm almost positive she has a concussion. She's shaky and has a fever and can barely focus her eyes. She really needs an ambulance."

The boy didn't respond for several moments, his eyes remained locked, staring blankly into Elliot's as if he were physically looking into his mind, taking it apart bit by bit.

"I'm sorry, Detective. There is no phone here." His tone was as bizarre as his stare had been, empty of emotion.

But God dammit, why was there no phone here? He was from the East so he wasn't sure how secluded Westerners did things, but seriously? Phones were a necessity.

"Is there a car that I could drive her to the hospital in?," Elliot asked, panic rising as he realized his options were slimming.

"Those cars out there don't work."

Elliot wanted to shout in anger, at Cragen, at Samuel Frank, at everyone and anyone that had been involved in flying the two of them out here. Shit, they could be in the bullpen right now, working on some boring paperwork rather than be stuck out in the middle of the desert.

"I may be able to help though." His tone had changed. Now it was no longer mechanical and slightly freaky; he sounded eager, excited, helpful. Elliot's mind flashed to images of women he'd interviewed over the years that stated the men that had raped and tortured them had been so kind, had offered to help them carry their groceries to their car. Then they changed when they were alone and vulnerable.

He wanted to hit himself for letting his train of thought wander there. This _kid_ was going to try and help his partner _survive. _Elliot couldn't criticize or question the authenticity of his words, he could only accept the help the boy was offering.

"Do you have medical training or…?," Elliot trailed off, waiting for some sort of elaboration from him. A hint of a smile smirk played at the boy's lips, though Elliot had no idea what was so funny, not when he was sure there was fear clearly plastered on his own face.

"Not at all, but my mother…" He swallowed and paused, seeming to contemplate the thought before continuing. "Was skilled in that area."

"Please call me, Harvey, Harvey Bates. I'll unlock a room for you and your partner right away, don't worry about the charge." Harvey walked out of the house and closed the door behind him with a loud snap.

"Was that your mother up there?," Elliot wondered aloud, pointing up to the upper floor of the house where he had seen the silhouette of the woman only minutes before.

"Oh no, my mother's dead. I live alone." Elliot furrowed his brow. He was certain he had seen a woman in that window. It was puzzling, but soon the topic quickly vanished from Elliot's mind. His mind began to wander to Olivia.

The rest of the walk down to the motel was in silence for Elliot could only think about how hot and clammy she had been, how she could barely stand up, how her life might be in danger because of how hurt she was.

What Elliot didn't know was both of their lives were in danger….

for a completely different reason.

* * *

Olivia's head lolled onto her shoulder as she tried to steady the rocking motion that she could only feel. She knew she had a concussion. Of course she'd had her share of them, but this one was probably the worst she had ever had. Even if she moved the slightest bit, she would see stars, her stomach would turn into a knot, and her whole body would trembled. It was even more terrifying because she was alone and she knew, though she didn't want to admit it, that she could fall asleep and never wake up at any time.

And she never felt more grateful in her life when she heard the door to the office squeak open. Olivia recognized Elliot's voice immediately saying something she couldn't quite make out.

The next thing she knew, a strong arm was around her waist, pulling her up from the chair before she could even realize what was happening. For the next couple of minutes, they were walking, or at least Elliot was walking, supporting most of her weight as she tried as best as she could to show some independence and move her legs around in a motion she thought might resemble walking.

Olivia knew it was him holding her. Not only could she feel the rippling muscles on his arms, but his hands…. his hands she'd touched and felt more times than either one of them would admit were gripping her waist like it was a lifeline.

Then she was being lowered on something soft, and cushiony, a bed. Elliot's warm hands cupped hers, assuring her of his presence. Relief swelled in her mind that she was finally comfy and Elliot wasn't leaving her, but she still couldn't help but wonder if he had indeed been able to reach an ambulance.

As if to answer her prayers, his voice swept over her, more clearly now than before.

"Liv, you're going to be okay." He squeezed her hand tightly. Then Olivia felt herself slowly slipping into blackness.

"Alright well she's asleep," Harvey stated with a sigh. Elliot looked up at him, a confused expression on his face.

"Isn't that bad that she's asleep?," He questioned. Harvey looked up at him, a small, innocent smile playing at his lips. It creeped Elliot out, not so much the sinister smile, but the way he wasn't even looking at Elliot. Harvey's eyes remained locked on Olivia's unresponsive body, raking up and down her silhouette as if stalking his next prey to mount in the office.

When they had first taken Olivia to the room, Harvey's mouth had been gaping like a 12 year old boy seeing porn for the first time. Not only was he immensely fascinated, but he looked like he wanted to bang her.

And fuck if Olivia's life wasn't in danger, not only would Elliot flip absolute shit on this kid, he would beat him to pulp. He got enough of these freaks in New York, why here? But he had to hold out until they were ready to go on there way, which would be God knows when. Until then he had to remain calm, cool, and collected. The last thing he wanted was to lose the only place Olivia was comfortable.

"No. You'll just have to wake her up every quarter of an hour so she doesn't go in too deep of a sleep," Harvey said, diverting his attention back to Elliot. He strode across the room towards where the bathroom was and after a moment he came back out with a wet washcloth in his hand.

"We have to cleanse the wound first, of course." Harvey knelt down beside Olivia next to Elliot and he bit back the urge to bark at him to give him the cloth. Once more, his explorative eyes began to wander over her body before the damp cloth even touched her skin.

"You know, Harvey," Elliot mumbled in a low voice so that Harvey could not hear his anger, "I think I can take care of it." Immediately his green eyes snapped up to meet Elliot's clear blues. He seemed surprised. A moment later he smiled, all signs of shock gone.

"Of course." Harvey handed the washcloth to Elliot. "Now, like I said wake her up every fifteen minutes and give her some water when she does. I'll wait until she sobers up to give her any Advil because she's going to have a massive headache. Also ask her questions; the usual date, time, names. It'll help us know how severe it is. Keep her head flat and cool her forehead with a wet washcloth for the fever." Elliot nodded and gently focused his attention back on the unconscious detective on the bed in front of him, gently dapping the washcloth on the bash.

Olivia looked so peaceful, so relaxed when she slept. It was a huge change from what he was used to looking at. His uptight, rigid, guarded partner was gone, and now only Olivia remained. It was something he rarely, if ever, got to see.

"Detective Stabler, if you will excuse me, I must get back to tending to my mother. If you would need anything at all please do come up." Elliot couldn't help but notice he seemed half sincere.

"Of course," Elliot responded. "I have one more question; do you have any idea how we can get out of here?" It had been nagging him from the beginning and it scared him even more that he couldn't come up with a reasonable solution.

Harvey shook his head, with a half smile playing at his lips.

And then he was gone.

* * *

**April 15**

**3 A.M. **

Elliot groaned as he pulled himself out of the uncomfortable chair he'd been collapsed in for the past 3 hours once Olivia's fever had gone down. Every fifteen minutes he would moan, groan, and bitch to himself about how fucked up his life was before shaking Olivia delicately awake only to be cursed at, or stared at angrily before she fell back asleep.

It was cute he had to admit it and it still wasn't getting old, seeing his partner's eyes snap open, yet it was beginning to scare him how easily she would become unconscious again.

Once more he nudged Olivia's arm and muttered for her to get up. He got her shifting onto her side, facing away from him in response and a muffled phrase.

"Liv, come on you have to wake up for a few minutes," He murmured, letting his hands brush along her arms. Elliot pulled away quickly. Good God, he was only asking to be labeled as one of those men who felt up a woman while she was asleep. Though he would enjoy feeling Olivia up, so long as she was awake.

"Liv," He groaned, "you're really not making this easy for either one of us."

"Fuck, Elliot!," Olivia's voice was surprisingly strong for someone who was still half asleep. "I'm awake, so shut up." Not entirely satisfied with the way she was still laying down, he decided to tease her a little. He liked nothing more than to have Liv riled up.

"I don't think so. Stand up and prove it." Olivia let out a frustrated, angry moan and he swore it was one of the sexiest things he had ever heard. Elliot was just about to say something else to her to distract himself, but she dragged herself out of bed and stood before him with her hands on her hips and her brown eyes sleepily gazing at him.

"Happy?" Elliot grinned and took a step closer to her. He was invading her personal space, he knew that much, but his good sense of mind had vanished the moment she had stood up in a huff. He could only handle so much of this woman.

"Very," He murmured. Olivia's eyes seemed to darken visibly in front of him.

"El," She began, her eyes wincing in pain as she reached up and started to massage her temples, "Do you have any advil?" Elliot chuckled, than stopped abruptly. It was a reasonable question, but now he had to go back up to the house, ask Harvey for the medication, and risk having Harvey come down here and insist he take care of Olivia.

He moaned and sunk down onto the mattress.

"What?," Olivia asked concern flooding her voice. She sat down next to him and lay a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Elliot, what the fuck is going on?"

He wanted to explain everything in a rush to her; Harvey, how he looked at her, that there was absolutely no way either one of them were getting out of there, how beautiful she was.

Yet he couldn't bring himself to do it.

And as he walked out of the room, assuring Olivia that he would be right back with it, Elliot never thought that telling her exactly what he thought might be the key to saving her life.

**"What's your _favorite_ scary movie?"-Ghostface, Scream**

* * *

**A/N: I usually don't put ending notes, but I felt bad for making a little cliffhanger there. :P Don't worry Olivia does live, but there are a lot more twists and turns to come ;) **


End file.
